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Car Travel Fun for Families & Kids!

Car
Travel Fun for Families & Kids!

Remember
family car trips when you were a kid, squished in the backseat of the car next
to your brother and sister. There was no DVD player to entertain you, and your
sister kept putting her foot on “your side” while you begged your parents “please
make her stop touching me!” to no avail.

Well, we
remember those days too, so we’ve brought you some of our favorite kids travel suggestions
from some great websites.

“Creating a travel diary or journal is a wonderful activity that
will not only keep your children busy in the car on a long trip, but it will
preserve their memories for a lifetime.”

A spiral notebook, some markers and crayons will get you started.
As you drive, encourage your children to write and draw the things they see and
experience. If they are too young to write, just let them draw and then have
them tell you about their pictures. You can write the words for them.

Games
& Activities

www.activitiesforkids.com has a wonderful list
of car travel games. Our favorite growing up was the A to Z game. Watch the signs that you see as
you drive. Call out each letter as you find them
starting with “A” and continuing in alphabetical order to “Z”.

www.babycenter.com recommends
bringing along a cheap 9" x 12" baking sheet to use as a playing
surface so crayons, Matchbox cars, Legos, and other small items don't roll
away. Pack some magnetized letters, numbers, and shapes to make words, spell
names, or create pictures on the metal pans.

They also suggest
creating an activity bag. Fill it with bubbles and balls (for rest area
entertainment) and other toys to bring out throughout the trip rather than all
at once. So there is something new for every segment of the trip.

A variation on that idea is to wrap
some presents. Small dollar store type gifts wrapped in several layers of
paper make great treats. You can dole them out for milestones along the trip as
you reach ¼ of the way there, ½ way there, almost there, etc. and perhaps as a
reward for not asking “are we there yet?”

Audio Books

Listen
to an audio book. For
older children with longer attention spans, this is a great opportunity to
share in the old tradition of stories read aloud. Think of the classics from
your own childhood, Charlotte’s Web, James and the Giant Peach, Anne of Green
Gables.

Check out
the sites for dozens of other ideas to fill your family vacation car trip with
lots of FUN memories!